School using their own kids for a union organised anti-government protest

by Cameron Slater on September 5, 2014 at 12:30pm

A parent wrote in to complain

My 5 yo came home from school today, very excited about tomorrow’s Purple-themed mufti day.

Not knowing anything about it, we checked out the school Facebook page and discover the attached “clarification” message from Rangiora Borough School Principal, Alan Sutton, advising that it’s to “support the union’s protest over the purpose of the scheduled $359 million Investing in Success’ project”.

My boy is now very disappointed that he can’t participate in the Mufti Day. I’m appalled that a school would use my child as a pawn in their political agenda!

I’m not generally outspoken, have been reading your site for about 6 months but have only commented once or twice. But this has angered me, so I had to share it with you, and will be writing to the Principal to share my outrage.

A bit of checking around with other schools makes it clear that the Purple Themed Day is really just meant to be for unionised staff. The fact that Rangiora Borough School have extended this to a “mufti day” for the kids (remember some are as young as FIVE) without telling the parents this is a highly political move is just plain shameful.

This was posted on the school’s Facebook page after the parents raised a stink over their kids being used in this way:

“There is no intention to use our students for a political purpose or protest”… except it’s going to look really cool for the local reporter if the whole school turns out in purple “by accident”.

What a manipulative piece of work that principal is.

Clearly more interested in looking after his union mates than he is about the kids.

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As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. And when he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.

They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet, and as a result he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist that takes no prisoners.